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Automata and Working Models have their origins in the temple thaumata described by Heron of Alexandria (10 - 70 AD). They reached a zenith of technical and aesthetic excellence in 19th century France. Collecting coins was a minor extension of their function. As such, the coin-operated tableaux vivants or working models that became popular in Britain from the end of the 19th century were no great advance on their Greek forebears. At first they were shown in public exhibitions and traveling shows, but by the 1950s they were a familiar and uniquely British arcade genre. Many appealed to the darker side of the imagination and are in the same British Gothic tradition as The Castle of Otranto and The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb.

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Fairy

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Added to Automata by sweetmeats on 19/06/17

Fairy



Clockwork mechanism, delivers a card indicating your fortune.


Dennison   Unknown date
Added to Automata on 19/06/17

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Fortress

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Added to Automata by sweetmeats on 19/06/17

Fortress



Clockwork mechanism.



Canover   1900s
Added to Automata on 19/06/17

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Iron Maiden

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Added to Automata by sweetmeats on 17/05/17

Iron Maiden



Gothic and gruesome, this spring-driven working model's torture theme is typical of the genre.


Dennison   Unknown date
Added to Automata by sweetmeats on 17/05/17

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Laughing Sailor

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Added to Automata by vintageamusementfan on 27/06/20

Laughing Sailor



This machine is similar to the famous "Laughing Sal" that jiggled and laughed at so many of our now defunct amusement parks.  Jolly Jack came as either an English Sailor or the rarer English "Bobby". After dropping a penny in the slot, a cam would lower a tone arm on to a 78 RPM record with a laugh track recorded on it, while Jack had a laughing fit (the speaker hidden in the door behind a metal plate). Four other cams were responsible for making Jack rock back and forth , and side to side, which also made his eyes roll around in his head.


Modern Enterprises   1950s
Added to Automata by vintageamusementfan on 27/06/20

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Lime House Nights

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Added to Automata by sweetmeats on 10/06/17

Lime House Nights



This machine deserves a description...

Unknown maker  
Added to Automata on 10/06/17

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Pharaoh’s Tomb

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Added to Automata by yorkshire pudding on 26/02/07

Pharaoh’s Tomb



Splendid example of a rare Bollands working model, greatly enhanced by the pseudo-Egyptian glyphs and symbols on the cabinet.


Bolland   1950s
Added to Automata by yorkshire pudding on 26/02/07

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  • Latest exhibits
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    • 12 win clock
    • 1849 Prospector
    • 22 Cup
    • 24 Cup
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    • 3 Ball Nine Cup
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    • 9 Results
    • A Live Peep-Show
    • Advance Pin Table
    • Aerial Cup
    • All Sport
    • All Square Crane
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    • Allwin de Luxe
    • Amusement
    • Auto Sales
    • Autofruit
    • Automatic Billiard Player
    • Automatic Obstacle Race
    • Automatic Stereoscope
    • BAC Scales
    • Bajazzo
    • Beat The Goalie
    • Beech-Nut Chewing Gum
    • Bingola
    • Bomb Aimer
    • Bomb Dropper
    • Bomber Command
    • Boomerang
    • Brecknells “Minor”
    • British Beauties Bureau
    • Bubbles
    • Bullion
    • Bulls-Eye
    • Bumper
    • Cadbury’s (various chocolates)
    • Cadbury’s Chocolate
    • Cannon Balls
    • Carousel
    • Challenge
    • Challenger
    • Change Machine
    • Chip or Bust
    • Chocolate
    • Cigarettes
    • Cigarettes
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    • Cigaretto
    • Climbing The Alps
    • Clown
    • Clown
    • Clutching Hand
    • Colonial Shooting Range
    • Colour of Your Hair
    • Commercial
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    • Conquerors’ Flags
    • Corinthian
    • Cox’s Sovereign Gold Changer
    • Criterion
    • Crusader
    • Cupid’s Post & Telegraph Office
    • Davy Jones Locker
    • Dawn Patrol
    • Defiant
    • Depthcharge
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    • Diabolo?
    • Ding A Bell
    • Double Top
    • Each Way
    • Earth Satellite
    • Easy Push
    • Electric Amuser
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    • Elevenses
    • Entirely Automatic
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    • Everitt’s Try Your Grip
    • Express Gold Changer
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    • Extrawin
    • Fair Play Totalisator
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    • Fairy
    • Fascination
    • Figure of 8
    • Fill ‘Em Up
    • Fireworks
    • Firmans one arm bandit
    • Five Win
    • Fleet Air Arm
    • Forks
    • Fortress
    • Fruit Bowl
    • Fry’s Chocolate
    • Game of Skill
    • Gap-Win
    • Garrett’s Bijou Gold Changer
    • Get Tee Zee
    • Get the Ball Past the Arrow
    • Goal! (Each Way)
    • Golf
    • Great Blow-Ball Game
    • Greyhound Racer
    • Gripteze
    • Gypsy Fortune Teller
    • Harper De Luxe
    • Harper Super De Luxe
    • Harper Super Product
    • Hat Trick
    • Hidden Treasure
    • Hill Climber
    • Hod Clod
    • Horseshoe Pintable
    • Ice Hockey
    • Ice Hockey
    • Irish Sweepstakes
    • Iron Maiden
    • Jackpot
    • John Bull
    • Krac Shot
    • Laughing Sailor
    • Licensed Victuallers’ Automatic Shooting Range
    • Licensed Victuallers’ Shooting Range
    • Life & Health
    • Lifeline
    • Lighthouse Grip
    • Lime House Nights
    • Little Bren
    • Little Mickey
    • Little Stock Exchange
    • Little Stockbroker
    • Looping the Loop
    • Luck-E-Push
    • Lucky Twelve
    • Many Happy Returns
    • Master Football Game
    • Master Golf Game
    • Medicine vendor
    • Miniature Cricket
    • Monument Cigarette Box
    • Mother Shipton
    • Moving Stars
    • Music Maker
    • Nameplate printer
    • Nestle’s Milk Chocolate
    • New Get Tee Zee
    • Nine Holes
    • Number Parade
    • One Fruit
    • One Penny fortune teller
    • Oval
    • Over The Falls
    • Pascal Ambrosia Devonshire Milk Chocolate
    • Pascal Pearl Drops
    • Payramid
    • Peerless Pictures
    • Penny Points
    • Penny-Go-Round
    • Personality Love Meter
    • Pharaoh’s Tomb
    • Pilwin ’56
    • Pilwin Play
    • Pin Royal
    • Pin Up Girl
    • Ping Pong
    • Platform Tickets
    • Playball
    • Playball automatic
    • Prospector
    • Quick Returns
    • Regent
    • Retreeva
    • Rippler
    • Road Safety
    • Robot King
    • Rock Roll
    • Rockets
    • Roll Out The Barrel
    • Rolling Home
    • Rolling Road
    • Rolling Road
    • Roulette
    • Rowntree’s Fruit Gums
    • Rowntrees Fruit gum
    • Royal Jubilee
    • Safari
    • Safechek Gold Sovereign Changer
    • Salectric
    • Salter’s Automatic Weighing Machine
    • Satellite
    • Scooter Race
    • Screen Stars
    • Screen Stars
    • See The Guv’Nor
    • Shares
    • Shoot!
    • Silver Arrow
    • Sirdar Polyphon
    • Skill Score
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    • Star Eight
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    • The Cricket Match
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    • Tuck Shop
    • Uncle Sam’s Philosophy
    • Uneda Bagatelle Table
    • Uneda Miniature Pin Table
    • Unknown
    • Unnamed
    • Unnamed bagatelle
    • Up The Pole
    • VAL vendors
    • Victory Ball
    • Victory Cups
    • Village Blacksmith
    • Vocal Radialyst
    • Walden Goliath Crane
    • Walk The Plank
    • Waltonophone
    • When Were You Born?
    • Whirlwin Spinball
    • Whom Shall I Marry?
    • Wills’s Woodbine Cigarettes
    • Wills’s Woodbine Cigarettes
    • Win A Packet of Aero
    • Win A Peppermint
    • Win a Spangles
    • Win And Place
    • Win With Flowers
    • Winasmoke
    • Winaway Pool
    • Wizard
    • Wonder Pools
    • Woodbines
    • Wrigley’s Chewing Gum
    • Wrigleys
    • Wrigleys Chewing Gum
    • Wunder
    • Yacht Race
    • Your Character From The Colour Of Your Hair
    • Your Fortune By Cards
    • Your Fortune Told
    • Your Photo By X Ray
    • Zig-Zag
    • Zodiac Love Test
    • Zunt Table
  • Makers
    • Bolland
    • Canover
    • Dennison
    • Modern Enterprises
  • Automata
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  • Add automaton
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